I Can't Remember To Hate U

CHAPTER 35

"I have to go back." I said.
"Go back? Where?" Oren sounded concerned. Can I trust him? I pondered. It's probably best to tell him the truth, I decided. "I just got a call... aunt Pauline is in the hospital. I need to see her... please." I was practically begging him to take me there.
   "Alright. We're leaving in..." he looked at the watch on his wrist. "Thirty minutes." I looked at him with gratitude, I even placed a kiss on his cheek while murmuring the words "thank you."
"You don't have to pack your things. I'll have someone take care of it." I still couldn't understand why he was helping me. He obviously knew my reasons for approaching him, but he didn't seem to care. He was always acting like we're a real couple. I started to wonder what it would be like if we had met sooner. What would've happened if the story about how we first met was true. "What are you thinking about?" Oren's voice brought me back to my senses. "Uh-um. Nothing, I'm just worried about my aunt." I sounded nervous. "Don't worry, everything will be fine."

Around one o'clock in the afternoon, our flight landed in Venice. I was suddenly reminded of my mother. Mom, I wish you were here... I miss you so much.
  A car was waiting for us at the airport and immediately after stepping out, we hopped in. I was actually glad I didn't have to wait for a cab. Oren had been quiet all the way from Lisbon, and it seemed like he had a lot on his mind. I didn't dare to ask him mainly because I feared that he would tell me not to worry about it. How can I not worry when you have that expression on your face? I gazed at him while he looked outside the window.

I stayed with Oren for two hours, until his assistant Lisa, who flew there from Lisbon, arrived at the hospital. Lisa seemed familiar with the place and a few minutes later, we were allowed to see my aunt. An IV was dripping fluid into aunt Pauline's arm. Her heartbeat and blood pressure were being recorded on a monitor over her bed. She was chalk white, and her dark hair a stark contrast to her complexion and the hospital bedding.
"Aunt?" I tried to talk to her, hoping that she was listening.
"I'm here,aunt."
  Oren put his arms around me to comfort me. I had tears in my eyes but they had not yet fell down to my cheeks. "It's okay, you can cry if you want to."
He sounds so caring, I thought.
"I won't cry, not now at least," I said. I was just thankful she was alive, that's all.
"Did the person who called you tell you what happened?" Oren was running his finger along my face, trying to keep me from crying.
"No. She just told me that my aunt had been found and that she was in a coma." A look of confusion came over his face. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Nothing. I'm going to ask Lisa to take you outside. You should get something to eat."
"But..." I gave him a concerned look. "Don't worry, I'll look after your aunt." The smile he gave me made me trust his words.
He called Lisa and asked her to wait for me outside with the driver. He kissed my forehead and caressed my face before I went out. Every gesture of his contained a lot of care and attention and without even realizing it, I was developing feelings for him. As I walked through the hospital hallway, I suddenly remembered that Oren was probably hungry too,so I went back to ask him if I should bring back takeouts.

"What... What do you think you're doing?" Oren was injecting something in the drip bag connected to my aunt's IV. "Lorelei..." the expression on his face said it all. "Why?... why did you...?" It suddenly became hard to breathe and I felt a sharp pain go through my chest. Oren rushed to my side and took me in his arms. I fainted.
  When I opened my eyes, the ceiling looked unfamiliar and my vision was blurry. I heard Oren talking with someone, but the other person was unknown to me. I tried to get up from the bed but I felt weak. Then I heard the strange man say, "There's nothing to worry about Mr. Tremblay. Your wife fainted because she's pregnant."